gfron1

Meaning, replace it with the & symbol?

Good morning thoughts. I mapped out my essays and recipes to find themes and commonalities. I ended up with plants: wild and farmed and meats: wild and farmed. This is obvious but really useful. I've reworked the sub-title which feels more natural than anything we've had to date: Acorn & Cattail: A Modern Cookbook of Farm & Forest I'll sit on that for a while. EDIT: Already evolved as I fit the recipes into the new categories: A Modern Cookbook of Farm, Forest and Field (think animals, farmed plant and wild plant)

Sorta random thought. The vast majority of people do not use a cookbook from page 1 to page last regardless of how the recipes are structured. You jump around based on what sounds interesting to you. So why do we do Tables of Content in structures like we do (Appetizer, Entree, Dessert; Spring, Summer, Winter; Easy, Medium, Hard). We're toying with the idea of more of a Venn Diagram concept - grouping by interest. We're not quite sure what this looks like, and we're sure it'll give the publisher fits, but we're doing some graphic concepts on the idea. This all came about because I was saving each recipe as an individual document file. Now that I'm up to around 75 recipes, that's cumbersome for editing. I want to group the recipes by chapter - putting all content for each chapter in its own file. Before I do that, I need to be very confident that I like the groupings...which I currently don't. Am I offbase here? BTW, I do hope all of my blabbering is useful or interesting. I think its fascinating seeing what issues come up as we work through this book - things that I never imagined.

Interesting story on the various approaches to recipe writing from Madfeed.

If you can find canned, there's a decent chance that you can find frozen. I believe I've seen it from Goya.

Based on your screen name I assume I can give you the abbreviated version. Sweat a half of an onion. Add half cup of cuitlacoche. Add a cubed butternut and sauté for 5 minutes. Add 2 qt rabbit broth (or whatever broth) (or enough to cover plus an inch). Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Blender and sieve. Salt to taste. As with most of my recipes I like pure flavor hence no other seasoning. Wouldn't it be great if I could write all recipes like this No vouching for canned cuitlacoche - never used it. I have used frozen and found it to be acceptable.

Today I submitted a proposal to an agent. I hate the idea of giving a percentage away - but I'm anxious to see what doors might open. I've also been talking about paper with my designer - he's leaning 100# matte stock. My designer wants 10x10, but the publisher who is courting us wants a more standard 8.5x10. I don't know that I care either way, its a matter of fashion v. function. What do you all think?

Short answer - yes.

I really appreciate that comment Deryn, and will certainly be a part of my push back with publishers. I'm trusting that they know how to sell books, but what's the point if I can't be proud of what I'm selling.

Another great photo shoot yesterday. The publisher who is courting me asked only one question - is that enough recipes? Its the question I've been struggling with for months. On one hand I'm not a Michelin starred chef who can throw out a coffee table book that world would want to devour with only a handful of recipes and a slew of ponderings. On the other hand, I'm not trying to present "150 Great Cupcake Recipes for the Holidays." I'm somewhere in between. As I said up thread, I want this book to be 75% accessible and 25% inspiration. And I also recognize that some recipes are actually a set of 3 or 4 recipes. Many people say that 100 recipes is ideal, but this book is more than a set of recipes - its a collection of food, people and place, yet I need to keep a more universal interest than my local community. Just thoughts. I'm going to dig through my old blog and see what recipes are buried away, and I'll continue to add recipes as the foraging season changes. This photo is my huitlacoche butternut soup with miso soil.

I still use your technique and make monster batched a few times a year. Every time I do I think of you!

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is showing folks how to use common foraged ingredients. I spend quite a bit of time on green walnuts in the book. Been swamped with restaurant life - had a JBF judge come through on Thursday and a huge dinner tonight that has been sold out for months. I'm really, really hoping to get my recipes 100% complete by Monday so I can relax and start getting some sleep again. The irony of it all is that since I started working on the book, my foraging hikes have gone down from 6 a week to 2 a week at best.

I just asked my server what she says. Her response, "The chef puts those out fresh every morning." I responded, but there are day olds in the front of the line of cookies. And she responded, "yeah, but I don't know where the day olds end and new ones start." Not sure I like that answer, so this turned out to be a good impetus for us to talk about the issue.

Another interesting day. We're exploring relationships with publishers. Today I spoke with a small, but growing publisher. The model of my team doing all of the work (photography, design, edit) is not normal - we knew this - and it makes it more difficult for a publisher because their financial model is based on them doing much of that work. In a traditional model she said that the royalties would typically be 12-16% but she would have to re-calculate. Quick math runs through my head - if I sell one book at $35 I would make $5.25...split evenly among my 3 other partners equals $1.31 per book. Sell 1000 books (low end estimate) and I make $1,310. Sell 5000 books (realistic estimate) and I make $6,550. Keeping perspective that really our team would make $26,200. She said our percentage would be higher but she has to figure out what that might look like. When we were only looking self-publishing I was able to think in terms of per book profits in the $20 range after printing and distribution. The appeal of using a publisher, no matter how small, is that they have established printers and distributors, as well as some form of marketing. The exciting thing about this conversation, however, was that they had in vain been looking for a premier cookbook for next Fall and she felt it was a good fit. I'm cautious because I would think other publishers would feel the same way, but the fit isn't too bad with this one. I also talked to her about how many recipes, how many pages, how many photos and we're in the ballpark for a 200 page book. My mind is a bit more at ease right now!

There are a number of chefs who work yeast in as a flavor. Mainly I see it going into dairy products where the flavor is best suited. I've seen ice cream/gelato, creme fraiche, yogurt spheres, etc. Think of a recipe where it will have a minimal or nil effect on the food - ie, don't put it in dough or anything that will really activate it. The one time I did it was a dish where I infused, then gelatin filtered for a clear broth...essentially creating liquid bread for a cocktail. So yes, you are on a track that has been gone down before, and very successfully. Typically regular dry active is what's used...different flavor than a self-started starter.

I'll expand that question to the larger list of ingredients represented in the book. Whether we're talking cattails, acorns, sumac, yucca, agave. algerita...etc., each has a unique flavor and texture that are simply unknown to most people. I'm focusing on the most accessible of the foraged items, but hoping to introduce folks to ingredients that are available, but mostly likely not used. And more importantly, most books in the US that have foraged foods are much too homestyle - yes, there is Manressa and a few others but then the focus isn't on foraged items - they are secondary. Specifically, cattail has a great cucumber-like flavor that is big moisture. Its a very versatile ingredient. The ash, like most ashes, tastes like...yes, ash, but they all have their own uniqueness that can be teased out, which is something I try to do by talking about different treatments. A great example is 4-wing salt bush which I use in place of salt throughout much of the year in my restaurant. BTW, you want to know what gets me even more excited - hackberries! I think they're one of the most perfect foraged flavors. Its like a date dancing on your tongue. Hope that answers your question. And, thanks again for these comments - so helpful!

Damn - I guess I'll re-write. Yes, free form, but should be 1/8" (1-2mm)

I wonder what my editor will say about optional ingredients - that aren't even in the ingredient list. I was also thinking about these comments - I often respond before fulling digesting. I would say that 75% of the recipes are intended to be fully accessible and the remainder are meant to be more for inspiration. In those 25% I don't feel its appropriate to offer substitutions because at that point its not what I intended.

I appreciate the feedback, and some of these things are adressed throughout the book - you're getting a snapshot out of context. Elsewhere I go into great lengths about why I like rice bran oil, but that canola is a perfectly acceptable substitution. The hard to find ingredient issue is one that I'm watching with every recipe. Acorn can't be substituted, but Okinawa black can. And I'll make sure that I offer more of these suggestions throughout the book. I do intend this book for the advanced home cook and restaurant cook. Part of the appeal will be the photos, part the foraged factor, and part the regional taste. As i continue discussing the project with potential publishers I'm getting to hone a message that is sellable, but still authentic to what I'm doing. All that said, here's a much more accessible recipe from the book for folks to play with. I offer this one because, while easy, it has a trickiness to it that would be interesting to see how it works for you all. You'll see its further along in the editing process and has those substitutions that you're asking for.

My restaurant exists because the first spring of my existence I was in the locavore concept, but by late winter I was still serving hot house tomatoes. One day I bit into one and realized the tomato was mealy and flavorless. I was quickly disillusioned and spun into an existential exploration of foraged foods. Foraged foods, for many restaurants, is just a fad. But, whether locavore or foraged or farm to table, if its done with the intent of making great food, and not serving as a barrier, then its a great thing. The moment that you serve that mealy tomato just because its local, then its schmocavore.

I have a section in the front of the book that begs people to be creative and not a slave to the recipes, but you can get okinawa black from Rare Tea Cellars.com. Okinawa black has a very strong minerality - almost iodine-ish flavor that I love with cured yoilk.

Very good comments Nancy - I'm happy to have all comments, even those spelling errors which will hopefully eventually be caught. The yolk was a glaring omission or at least a point of confusion...need to add fresh, separated yolks to the 3rd recipe set. The syringes don't clog from the heat, but I am going to re-write with a more food safety conservative approach. BTW, the discarded yolks get fed to your dogs! All comments were helpful - already revised. I would encourage you to try the yolk process. The acorn is harder to source, and is secondary to the yolk technique. Thanks.

I've had many of you offer to test recipes. Can I suggest a tougher one? I want most of my books to be accessible to an advanced cook, and while some ingredients may require some work to source, the techniques should be relatively doable by all. So, here is one that was a huge hit in my restaurant. Atxa Yolk, Asparagus Soil, Cured Yolk, Acorn Crust Inspired by Spanish chef Eneko Atxa’s technique of replacing an egg yolk filling, I’ve created a faux mushroom broth to internally poach the yolk. Be sure to use the freshest eggs available. Once you’ve mastered the technique the possibilities are limitless! Cured Yolk 520 g (2 C) Fine sea salt 55 g (¼ C) Okinawa black sugar, grated 17 g (2 T) Fennel seed 6 Fresh, Farmers Market egg yolks Combine salt, sugar and fennel in a bowl. In a loaf pan, sprinkle just enough of the salt mixture to coat the bottom evenly to about ¼” depth. Carefully lay the yolks on the mixture keeping an inch in between each yolk. Gently sprinkle the remaining mixture on top making sure that the yolks are completely covered. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for a week or until the yolks are firm to the touch. Once firm, remove the yolks, gently brush the salt mixture off and set on a drying rack. If you have a meat curing box or a wine cellar, age the yolks for an additional week. Store in a dry airtight container. Acorn Crust 90 g (1 C) Acorn flour 2.3 g (½ t) Rice bran or canola oil 2.5 g (½ t) Salt 84 g (1/3 C) Water Oven to 300ºF. Heat a deep skillet with 1” of cooking oil to 350ºF. Combine flour, oil and salt in a mixing bowl, rubbing between the palms of your hands until a course sand is formed. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, gradually add the water until a thick paste is formed. Spread organically on a Silpat or parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes or until curled and crisp on the edges. Fry the crusts until crisp throughout. Hold the crusts in a dry airtight container. Atxa Yolk with “Mushroom” Broth 250 g (1 C) Water 75 g (½ C) Cocoa beans, lightly toasted 20 g (1 T) Yellow miso Salt to taste 3.2 g (1 t) Xantham In small saucepan combine water, cocoa beans and miso. Bring to a simmer. Taste, and add salt as needed. Add xantham and mix with an immersion blender to the consistency of a runny egg yolk. Hold at 63ºC/145ºF. At service, place the acorn crust on the plate. Gently place an egg yolk in an Asian soup spoon. Poke the yolk with a toothpick. Using a sterilized dosing syringe from a packet of children’s medicine, extract ¾ of the yolk filling from the egg being careful to not poke a hole in the bottom of the yolk. Immediately fill the syringe with the hot “mushroom” broth, and then gently re-insert the syringe into the hole in the egg yolk membrane. This hot liquid will poach the yolk from the inside out. Stop when the filling starts to ooze from the hole. Carefully pour the yolk from the spoon onto the crust keeping the toothpick hole on the top of the yolk. If the hole rotates from the top the fillings will ooze from the yolk. Garnish with asparagus soil (p #), freshly sautéed asparagus tips, grated cured yolk and arugula microgreens. ==== I guess I'm mostly curious as to how its written - understandable? This is pre-editing. Thanks.

Not so uncommon in these parts.

Consultation with Steve Sando now has those beans as some variation of Cranberry...no, runner...no...I'm sending him some so he can sort this out. He said he's never seen anything like them.